Power-actuated underwater tool



R. w. HENNING ETAL 3,370,770

POWER'ACTUATED UNDERWATER TOOL Feb. 27, 1968 Filed Jan. 20, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet INVENTORS.

ROBERT 14 HENN/NG OL/l ER /v. LEW/S BY R/CHARD G LAWSGN ATTORNEY Feb. 1968 R.IW. HENNING ETAL 3,370,770

POWER -ACTUATED UNDERWATER TOOL IN ROBERT W l-E/V/V/NG OLIVER N LEW/S R/CHARD G. LAWSON A 77'OR/VE V United States ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLQSURE An underwater power-actuated tool utilizing a disposable barrel member comprising a thin-walled tubular member containing a fastener and cartridge. Both ends of the barrel member, as well as a primer of the cartridge, are sealed against the entrance of water. The barrel member is so positioned with respect to the housing of the tool that the barrel member must be moved relatively therewith to move it into firing position. The firing means of the tool include a lever member which upon rotation in one direction will cock the firing pin and upon rotation in the other direction will release the firing pin to ac tuate the cartridge.

This invention relates generally to tools for driving fasteners into concrete, wood, steel, and the like, and more particularly, to power-actuated tools of this type for use under water.

In many instances, such as in marine salvage operations and the construction of off-shore drilling rigs, it is necessary to perform fastening operations under water. The usual procedure is for divers equipped with standard diving equipment to submerge to the proper depth and per form the operation with a suitable tool.

In work of this type, the amount of time which a diver can spend performing fastening operations is relatively small compared to the amount of time spent from when he first enters the water to the time he resurfaces. For example, if a diver with equipment utilizing air submerges to a depth of 300 feet, the maximum amount of time he can spend at that depth is 30 minutes, and he must spend a total time of 171 minutes in returning to the surface to prevent contracting caissons disease, commonly known as the bends. After being submerged at 200 feet for 30 minutes, the diver must spend a total time of 73 minutes in returning to the surface.

Another consideration in such work is the fact that underwater divers are paid a relatively high hourly rate because of the dangerous nature of their activity. It will thus be apparent that during the time the diver can work, he should be able to complete as many fastenings as possible to reduce the total amount of time required to complete the job and to reduce its overall cost.

Therefore, one object of this invention is to provide a more efficient tool for use in underwater fastening operations.

Another object of this invention is to provide a poweractuated tool characterized by utmost safety as well as economy and convenience for underwater operations.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an improved power-actuated tool for use in underwater operation which requires the handling of fewer parts in its operation.

A more specific object of this invention is to provide an underwater power-actuated tool adapted for handling a disposable barrel unit containing a fastener and power charge which can be easily loaded into the tool and removed therefrom.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a atent tool for underwater use which is safe in operation, but which requires a relatively small force to hold it against the work surface.

These and other objects of this invention may be accomplished through the provision of a tool having a tubular portion. A disposable barrel unit containing a fastener and suitable power charge may be positioned within the tubular portion and have an outer surface slightly smaller than the interior wall of the tubular portion to permit a layer of water to form therebetween when the tool is used under water.

The tool of this invention may also be provided with an inner sleeve member and shield assembly which are so constructed that the disposable barrel unit cannot be positioned within the sleeve member of the tool and fired if the shield is not attached to the tool and whereby the shield cannot be removed from the tool after the disposable barrel is in position.

The tool may also include a trigger-cocking lever member which is mounted on a pivot and which can be rotated in one direction to move a firing pin into a position wherein a pawl engages a sear block to hold the firing pin in the cocked position. Rotation of the trigger-cocking lever member in the other direction releases the pawl from the seal block to fire the tool.

The invention may be more fully understood by reference to the following description of a preferred embodiment and to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a transverse sectional view of a tool constructed in accordance with this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a cross sectional view taken along the lines 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a transverse sectional view of the tool of FIGURE 1 shown with the disposable barrel assembly positioned within the sleeve member and showing the firing mechanism in its cocked position;

FIGURE 4 is a cross sectional view taken along the lines 44 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a cross sectional view taken along the lines 55 of FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 6 is a transverse sectional view of the tool of FIGURE 3 showing the tool positioned against a suitable surface and ready for firing.

Referring to the drawings, and particularly to FIGURE 1, a tool constructed in accordance with this invention may include a housing 2 having a tubular forward portion 4 and a rearward portion 6. A handle assembly 8 is attached to the rearward portion 6 of the housing 2 and may include a cylindrical handle brace 10 which is attached to the housing 2 by welding or other suitable means. Spaced brace members 12 are attached to the housing 2 forwardly of the handle brace 10 and extend downwardly and rearwardly toward the handle brace 10 and are attached thereto. A hollow grip member 14 of plastic, rubber, or other suitable material may surround the handle brace 10 and brace member 12. The grip member 14 may be held in place by a retainer nut 16 threadedly secured to the end of the handle brace 10.

A firing mechanism, indicated generally by 18 may be mounted in the rearward portion 6 of the housing 2 and may include a hollow cylindrical abutment member 20 mounted in the forward end of the rearward portion 6 of the housing and held in place by any suitable means. A firing pin 22 may be mounted in the rearward portion 6 of the housing 2, rearwardly of the abutment member 20, and include a body portion 24 and a forwardly extending rod portion 26 terminating in a conical nose portion 28. The body portion 24 of the firing pin 22 may have its bottom surface 30 and side walls 31 flattened as shown in FIGURE 2 to provide spaces between the body portion 24 and the interior wall of the rearward portion 6 of the housing 2.

The body portion 24 may include a transversely extending bore 32 having an axis generally parallel to the axis of the handle brace 10. The bore 32 in the body portion 24 is reduced as shown at 34 to provide a tapered internal shoulder 36. A pawl member 38 is mounted within the bore 32 and includes a first, reduced cylindrical portion 40 which projects from the reduced portion 34 of the bore 32 and an enlarged tubular portion 42 which includes an outer tapered shoulder 44 corresponding to the internal tapered shoulder 36 of the body portion 24. A pawl spring member 46 biases the pawl member 38 outwardly from the body portion 24 of the firing pin 22. The pawl spring is retained within the firing pin by means of a cylindrical pawl retainer 48 positioned in the upper end of the bore 32 by a pawl retainer pin 50 which extends through the retainer 48 and the body portion 24 of the firing pin 22.

The firing pin 22 is biased forwardly in the housing 2 by a firing pin spring 52 which extends from the body portion 24 to a housing plug 54 which is threadedly secured to the end of the housing 2.

A sear block 56 is mounted in a transversely extending groove 58 in the rearward portion 6 of the housing 2. As can be seen in FIGURE 2, the sear block 56 includes downwardly tapering outer edges 60 which contact internal tapering surfaces 62 in the grip member 14 whereby transverse movement of the sear block 56 is prevented.

A trigger-cocking lever member 64 is mounted on a suitable pin member 66 which extends transversely through the spaced brace members 12. The trigger-cocking lever member 64 includes an upper portion having fingers 67 and 68 which project through an axially extending groove 70 into the interior of housing 2. The first finger 67 is generally arc-shaped and, in the neutral position of the tool as shown in FIGURE 1, extends upwardly through the groove 70, through a mating slot 72 in the abutment member 20, and terminates immediately forward of the body portion 24 of the firing pin 22. The second finger 68 is positioned behind the sear block 56 and extends upwardly through the groove 70.

The gripping portion 74 of the trigger-cocking lever member 64 extends generally downwardly immediately in front of the grip member 14. A trigger-cocking lever return spring 76 has one end attached to the triggercocking lever 64 and has its other end attached to a plate member 78 which is mounted between downwardly extending prongs 80 of the brace members 12 and the handle brace 10. The trigger-cocking lever member 64 also includes an abutment portion 82 which extends between the brace members 12 for engagement with a trigger-cocking lever buffer spring 84.

A slidable sleeve member 86 may be disposed within the tubular forward portion 4 of the housing 2. A breech plug 88 is threadedly secured to the rearward end of the sleeve member 86 and includes an axially extending bore 90 having a forward frusto-conical portion 92. A sleeve spring member 94- may be disposed between the rearward face of the sleeve member 86 and the abutment member 20 to bias the sleeve member 86 forwardly within the housing 2. The sleeve spring member 94 should be a relatively light spring as compared with the firing pin spring 52. The forward end of the sleeve member 86 includes a tongue portion 96 which, as seen in FIGURE 4, is slightly less than a full semicircle in cross section.

A shield assembly 98 may be mounted at the forward end of the tool and include a rectangular dish-shaped shield member 100 and a rearwardly extending tubular portion 102. The rearward end of the tubular portion 102 includes a tongue portion 104 which overlaps the tongue portion 96 of the sleeve member 86. As seen in FIGURE 4, the tongue portion 104 of the tubular portion is also less than a full semicircle in cross section.

The tubular portion 102 of the sheild assembly 98 includes four elongated slots 106 circumferentially spaced about the tubular member 102 at 90 intervals. A retaining plug 108 is mounted in a suitable housing 110 attached to the forward end of the tubular portion 4 of the housing 2 and extends into one of the slots 106 in the tubular portion 102 of the shield assembly 98. A suitable spring member 112 biases the retaining plug 108 toward the interior of the tool.

A shield spring member 114 is mounted between the forward end of the tubular portion 4 of the housing 2 and the shield member 100 to bias the shield member forwardly relative to the housing 2. As in the case of the sleeve spring member 94, the shield spring member 114 should be relatively light as compared to the firing pin spring 52.

The interior surface of the tubular forward portion 4 of the housing 2 may be provided with a circumferential groove 116 at a point immediately rearward of the retaining plug 108. An elongated circumferential recess 118 may also be provided in the interior of the forward portion 4 of the housing 2 at a point slightly rearward of the groove 116. A ball member 120 may be mounted in a suitable opening 122 in the tongue portion 96 of the sleeve member 86 and a second ball member 124 may be mounted in an opening 126 in the tongue portion 104 of the shield assembly 98.

In the neutral position of the tool as shown in FIG- URE 1, the body 24 of the firing pin 22 has its forward face in engagement with the abutment member 20. In this position, the pawl member 38 engages the top surface of the sear block 56. The shield assembly is urged forward by the shield spring 114 until the rearward end of one of the slots 106 engages the retaining plug 108. The sleeve member 86 is urged forwardly by its associated sleeve spring member 94 until its forward face abuts the rearward end face of the tubular member 102 of the shield assembly 98.

With the components of the tool positioned as shown in FIGURE 1, a disposable barrel assembly 128 may be inserted within the sleeve member 86 through the forward end of the tool until it abuts the forward face of the breech plug 88. The disposable barrel assembly 128 may include a thin-walled tube 130 of suitable material. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, this material may be steel. A cartridge member 132 containing a suitable power charge may be mounted within the rearward end of the thin-walled tube 130 and sealed in place by a suitable epoxy resin 134. As shown in FIGURE 5, the end of cartridge member 132 may be coated with a suitable lacquer in the area around the edge of the primer 136 as indicated at 138 to seal the cartridge 132 against the entrance of water. The desired fastener 140 may be positioned within the thin-walled tube 130 immediately forward of the cartridge 132 and may include a circumferentially extending fiange or washer member 142 for centering and guiding purposes. A removable sealing cap member 144 is positioned over the open end of the tube 130 to prevent the entrance of water.

As can be seen particularly in FIGURE 4, the outer surface of the thin-walled tube 130 should be slightly smaller than the interior surface of the sleeve member 86 and tubular portion 102 of the shield assembly 98. Also, the length of the barrel assembly 128 should be slightly greater than the combined length of the shield assembly 98 and the length of the sleeve member 86 up to the forward face of the breech plug 88 so that the barrel assembly 128 will normally extend forwardly from the shield assembly 98 as shown in FIGURE 1 when the tool is in the neutral position.

After the disposable barrel assembly 128 is positioned within the tool, the tool may be cocked by rotating the trigger-cocking .lever member 64 clockwise about its pivot pin 66. In so doing, the first finger portion 67 of the trigger-cocking lever member 64 will abut the forward face of the body portion 24 of the firing pin 22 and move the firing pin rearwardly within the housing 2 until the pawl member 38 clears. the sear block 56 and is urged downwardly by its associated spring member 46. At this point, the pawl member 38 is positioned behind the sear block 56 and holds the firing pin 22 in its cocked position as shown in FIGURE 2.

After the tool is cocked, the forward face of the shield assembly 98 may be positioned against a suitable surface, indicated by 146 in FIGURE 6, and the housing 2 of the tool pushed forward relative thereto. In so doing, the housing 2 moves forward until the tubular forward portion 4 thereof abuts a flange 148 on the tubular portion 102 of the shield assembly 98. Due to the fact that the disposable barrel assembly 128 normally extends forwardly from the shield assembly 98, when the tool is positioned against the suitable surface 146 and the housing 2 pushed forward relative to the shield assembly 98, the disposable barrel assembly 128 will move rearwardly with respect to the shield assembly 98 until the forward faces of the barrel assembly 128 and the shield assembly 98 are flush with each other. Due to the fact that the rearward face of the barrel assembly 128 contacts the forward face of the breech plug 88 in the rearward end of the sleeve member 86, the sleeve member 86 will move rearwardly with respect to the housing 2. In this position of the tool, the rearward face of the breech plug 88 is slightly spaced from the forward face of the abutment member 20 and there will be a gap between the rearward end of the tubular portion 182 of the shield assembly 98 and the forward end of the sleeve member 86. The combined forces exerted by the sleeve spring member 94 and the shield spring member 114 in resisting this movement should total .about eight pounds. On the other hand, the force of the firing pin spring 52 in its cocked position should be about fifty pounds.

At this point, the tool may be fired by rotating the trigger-cocking lever member 64 counterclockwise so that the second finger member 68 engages the bottom face of the pawl member 38 and moves it up .and out of engagement with the sear block 56. The firing pin spring member 52 will then propel the firing pin 22 forward in the housing so that the rod 26 will project through the bore 90 in the breech plug 88 and contact the cartridge member 132. The provision of the spaces between the bottom 30 and side walls 31 of the firing pin body portion 24 and the interior of the housing 2 prevents the water which may be forward of the firing pin 22 from severely damping the forward movement of the firing pin 22 which could reduce its impact upon the cartridge member 132 to the point where the primer would not be actuated.

Since the rearward face of the breech plug 88 is spaced from the forward face of the abutment member 28 at the point of firing, the recoil due to firing tends to move the disposable barrel assembly 128, sleeve member 86 and firing pin 22 rearwardly in the housing 2. A portion of this recoil will be absorbed by the inertia of the relatively heavy firing pin 22, the relatively heavy firing pin spring member 52, and the water positioned behind the breech plug 88 and firing pin 22. The breech plug 88 will then impact upon the abutment member 20 transmitting the remainder of the recoil forces to the entire housing 2. Although this action will tend to move the housing 2 away from the work surface 146, the shield member 100 will stay in contact with the work surface 146 because it is biased forwardly by shield spring member 114.

After the tool has been fired, the disposable barrel assembly 128 may be withdrawn from the sleeve member 86 by merely grasping the forward end thereof by hand and pulling outwardly. Due to the fact that the exterior surface of the disposable barrel assembly 128 is smaller than the interior surface of the sleeve member 86 and tubular portion 182 of the shield assembly 98, when the tool is used under water there will be a thin layer of water therebetween. This layer of water will prevent the thinwalled tube 130 from expanding into locking engagement with the interior surfaces of the sleeve member 86 and shield assembly 98 when fired, and thereby facilitate the easy removal of the barrel assembly 128.

The particular arrangement of the shield assembly 98, sleeve member 86 and disposable barrel assembly 128 prevent the tool from being fired unless it is properly positioned against the suitable surface 146. For example, if the tool as shown in FIGURE 5 is tilted such that the .axis of the disposable barrel assembly 128 is not substantially perpendicular to the surface 146, even though one edge of the shield member is in contact therewith and the forward face of the housing 2 is in contact with the flange 148 of the tubular portion 102 of the shield assembly 98, the disposable barrel assembly 128 and sleeve member 86 would move forward relative to the housing 2 and shield assembly 98 under the influence of the sleeve spring member 94. With the components of the tool so positioned, even if the firing pin is released from its cocked position, the rod portion thereof will not be able to project through the bore 90 of the breech plug 88 and contact the cartridge member since the breech plug will have moved forwardly in the tool along with the sleeve member 86. Thus, it will be appreciated that the tool cannot be fired unless the forward face of the disposable barrel assembly 128 is positioned flush with the forward face of the shield assembly 98 and the housing 2 is moved forward until it abuts the flange 140 on the shield assembly 98.

The above-described arrangement of ball members and 124 in the tubular portion 102 of the shield assembly 98 and sleeve member 86 in conjunction with the circumferential groove 116 and elongated recess 118 in the interior surface of the housing 2 prevents the insertion of the disposable barrel assembly 128 into the tool unless the shield assembly 98 is in position and also prevents the removal of the shield assembly 98 after the disposable barrel assembly 128 is inserted. For example, if the shield assembly 98 is removed from the tool, the sleeve member 86 will move forwardly in the housing 2 until it contacts the retaining plug 108. In this position, the ball member 129 in the sleeve member 86 will be positioned forwardly of the groove 116. Since the ball member 120 has a greater diameter than the thickness of the wall of the sleeve member 86, it will extend into the interior thereof a sulficient distance to prevent the insertion of the disposable barrel assembly 128. If the disposable barrel assembly 128 is pushed into the sleeve member 86, with sufiicient force to engage the ball member 128 and move the sleeve member 86 rearwardly in the housing 2, the sleeve member 86 will move rearwardly until the ball can move outwardly into the groove 116 whereupon the disposable barrel member 128 can be inserted into the sleeve member 86 until its rearward face abuts the forward face of the breech plug 88. However, the engagement of the ball member 120' within the groove 116 will prevent additional rearward movement of the sleeve member 86 in the housing 2. Thus even if the tool is cocked and fired, since the sleeve member 86 is not in its rearward most position, the firing pin 22 will not project through the bore of the breech plug 88 and into engagement with the cartridge member 132 in the disposable barrel assembly 128.

With the shield assembly 98 properly attached to the tool and the disposable barrel positioned within the sleeve member 86, it is impossible to remove the shield assembly 98. The ball member 124 in the tongue portion 104 of the shield assembly 98 extends into the recess 118 and cannot move out of engagement therewith because of the barrel assembly 128.

The above-described arrangement of the firing mechanism 18 along with the trigger-cocking lever mem ber 64 provides a simple arrangement for cocking and firing the tool even by an operator having heavily gloved hands. Moreover, the provision of the disposable barrel assembly 128 containing the fastener and power charge 7 provides a fast and efiicient way for loading and unloading the tool.

The cap member 144 on the forward end of the disposable barrel assembly 128 insures that only air is present in the tube member 130. If the end of the disposable barrel assembly 128 were open, water Would enter the tube member 130' and substantially reduce the velocity of the fastener after it is fired to the point where it would not penetrate the work surface.

In addition, the cap member 144 provides a convenient means for indicating the power level contained in the cartridge member 132 by using a cap of a different color for each barrel assembly of a different power lever. To provide for the contingency that the cap member 144 is lost during handling, the tube member 130* may be provided with a stripe 150 colored according to the proper power level as shown in FIGURE 6'.

While reference has been made above to a particular embodiment of this invention, various alterations and modifications will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. Accordingly the scope of this invention should be ascertained by reference to the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. For use in a power-actuated fastening tool, a disposable barrel assembly comprising a tubular barrel member having cartridge means positioned adjacent one end thereof, means sealing said cartridge in said barrel member, said cartridge means including a primer, means sealing said primer against the entrance of water, a fastener element positioned in said barrel member forwardly of said cartridge, and means for sealing the other end of said barrel member against the entrance of water.

2. For use in a power-actuated fastening tool a disposable barrel assembly comprising a thin-walled tubular barrel member, cartridge means positioned within said tubular barrel member at one end thereof, adhesive means sealing the cartridge means within said tubular barrel member to prevent the entrance of water into the interior of said barrel member, said cartridge means including a primer, means coated on said primer to prevent the entrance of water into said primer, a fastener member positioned within said tubular barrel member forwardly of said cartridge, and removable cap means for sealing the other end of said tubular barrel means.

3. In a power-actuated tool, tubular housing means, a disposable barrel assembly telescopically mounted within housing means, said disposable barrel assembly including a thin-walled tubular barrel member having an outer surface spaced from the inner adjacent inner surface of said housing means, said barrel member adapted to contain a fastener and an explosive charge, and means sealing both ends of said barrel member against the entrance of water.

4. A power-actuated tool comprising a housing including a tubular forward portion, sleeve means telescopically mounted within said forward portion for movement between a first neutral position and a second firing position, a breech plug secured to the rearward end of said sleeve means, shield means extending forwardly from said tubular portion of said housing and moveable between a first neutral position and a second firing position, barrel means adapted to contain a fastener and a powder charge mounted within said sleeve means and having one end in abutment with said breech plug and the other end extending forwardly from said shield means when said sleeve means is in said neutral position.

5. A power-actuated tool comprising housing means including a tubular forward portion, sleeve means telescopically mounted within said tubular forward portion for movement between a first neutral position and a second firing position and having a breech plug secured to the rearward end thereof, shield means extending forwardly from said tubular portion of said housing means and movable between a first neutral position and a second firing position, disposable barrel means adapted to contain a fastener and powder charge mounted within said sleeve means and having one end in abutment with said breech plug and the other end extending forwardly from said shield means when said sleeve member is in said neutral position, said disposable barrel means having an external surface spaced from the adjacent internal surface of said sleeve means.

6. The power-actuated tool of claim 4 further including sleeve spring means biasing said sleeve means forwardly toward said neutral position, stop means for limiting the forward movement of said sleeve means, abutment means on said shield means for contacting said tubular forward portion of said housing when said shield means is moved into the firing position, and shield spring means biasing said shield means toward said neutral position.

7. The power-actuated tool of claim 6 further including abutment means positioned within said housing means and secured thereto, firing pin means mounted in said housing means rearwardly of said abutment means and adapted to move between a cocked position and a fired position wherein a portion of said firing pin extends through said abutment means into said forward portion of said housing, and firing pin spring means biasing said firing pin toward said fired position, the end of said sleeve means being spaced from said abutment means in said firing position, and said firinig pin spring means being relatively heavy as compared with the shield spring means and said sleeve spring means.

8. The power-actuated tool of claim 4 wherein the forward end of said sleeve means and the rearward end of said shield means each include a tongue portion in overlapping relationship, stop means mounted within each of said tongue portions, a recess in the internal surface of said housing means, said stop means extending into said recess when said disposable barrel is in position, spring means biasing said sleeve means forwardly within said housing, stop means for limiting the forward movement of said sleeve means and "said shield assembly, and a groove in the internal surface of the said housing means forwardly of said recess.

9. The power-actuated tool of claim 8 wherein each of said stop means comprises a ball member having a diameter greater than the wall thickness of said tongue portions.

10. A power-actuated tool including a trigger-cocking lever and firing assembly comprising a firing pin mounted within said tool and movable between a fired position and a cocked position, a sear block mounted in said tool below said firing pin, a firing pin pawl extending downwardly from said firing pin, spring means biasing said firing pin downwardly from 'said firing pin, spring means biasing said firing pin toward its fired position, a trigger-cooking lever pivotably mounted on said tool and including a first finger portion for engaging said firing pin to move said firing pin into the cocked position wherein said pawl member engages said sear block and a second finger portion for depressing said pawl member out of engagement with said 'sear block to actuate said firing pin.

11. The power-actuated tool of claim 10 wherein said firing pin is mounted within a tubular housing, said firing pin having a portion of its external surface spaced from the internal surface of said tubular housing.

References Cited GRANVILLE Y. CUSTER, JR., Primary Examiner. 

